Pickup trucks may be used to transport various types of cargo. These trucks generally have a flat bed or floor near the rear of the vehicle, into which the cargo can be loaded. A rear door or tailgate provides access to the bed and may be opened and closed for loading. In the closed condition, the tailgate keeps cargo from rolling or falling out of the bed. However, certain types of cargo may occupy more floor space than may be available in the cargo bed. The trucks may be designed so that, when the tailgate is folded down for cargo loading, an interior surface of the tailgate is level with the bed floor.
Certain devices have been designed to allow a lowered tailgate to serve as an extension of the bed. These devices allow loaded cargo to extend past the end of the bed and to occupy a portion of the folded-down tailgate interior surface when the tailgate is down, while preventing the cargo from falling out of the bed. However, such devices rend to be relatively heavy, bulky, and difficult and time-consuming to set up.